Almost Home
by justanoutlaw
Summary: Emma & Neal talk about their warm futures, in a cold bug.


It's hard to cuddle in a car. Movies make it look romantic, but Emma has long since learned not to trust those. Even so, she would give anything for one of those moments where she just magically relaxed in Neal's arms without either of them having to wiggle for a few minutes to get comfortable or hit the gear. She'd kill for a point where Neal's long legs didn't get tangled or for hers not to fall asleep. She never complained, though. Especially not that night.

Most nights they each took their own seat to avoid discomfort, but that night was something to celebrate. They had done it once in the motel, and then got in the mood once again when they escaped just before house cleaning caught them. They had the plaid blanket Neal had dug up for them draped over their bodies, staring out at the stars. The bug was parked in a different motel parking lot. A Yaz song played over her Walkman that they shared. It was meant to lull them asleep, not that they could.

It wouldn't be much longer that they'd have to sleep in that dented yellow bug. They had plans to make it out to Florida. Tallahassee to be specific.

_Home._

"What are we gonna do for work in Tallahassee?" She whispered as if someone would catch them.

Neal was quiet for a moment. "I don't know. The only job I ever had was as a janitor and it didn't last long."

Emma nodded. "I don't have any work experience, outside chores in foster homes."

"You could be a maid."

"A 17-year-old maid. Sounds realistic."

"We'll have new identities. I was only 16 when I was a janitor, but I had a fake so they thought I was older."

Emma pondered it for a minute. "I hate cleaning. I don't think I'd be much good at it." She linked her fingers through his own. "Maybe waitressing."

"You'd have to be nice to people."

Emma gasped. "I'm nice!"

Neal cocked an eyebrow and she smacked his chest, causing him to laugh. "Really, though, I could see you being the surly waitress everyone loves." His chin fell atop her head. "So long as you brought me pie every night."

"Oh, of course. Pumpkin, right?" He nodded and she kissed his chin. "And what about you, Mr. Cassidy? What are you gonna do when we've gone South?"

Neal was quiet as he played with her fingers. "You know, I always thought about becoming a firefighter."

"Really?"

"I don't know what I'd need to qualify."

"We could figure it out, I'm sure."

"So, a firefighter and a waitress," Neal said. "Sounds like a regular American romance to me."

"As long as we go to the beach as much as we can. I never got to go there as a kid."

"First thing we'll do as soon as we unpack."

"And we'll get an apartment with a real bed, not a crappy futon?"

"I will search high and low, so we never have to sleep on anything subpar again."

Emma smiled, cuddling closer to him. They didn't have any furniture at all and she knew zero about interior design. She thought about some of her nicer foster homes, where the moms had little trinkets everywhere. Everything matched so perfectly. It was a little overwhelming and she worried about getting it dirty. Some foster parents did little to ease those fears. She didn't want anything too fancy, that she was afraid to get dirty. What was the point of having furniture if you never wanted to put your feet up on it?

"Maybe one day we'll actually have a kid," Neal muttered. "Instead of just pretending your pregnant to knock over a store."

"I never thought about kids." She shrugged. "I could see us with one or two."

"Two, so they're never alone."

"You're not the one that has to be pregnant with them," she pointed out. "Besides, they'll never be alone, so long as they have us."

Neal grinned. "Very true." He pecked her cheek. "And we'll take them to the beach too."

That perked Emma up. "You gonna marry me before we have these kids, Cassidy?"

"Of course. Big wedding."

She laughed. "Who would we invite?"

"The friends we make in Florida."

Friends. She had been shit at making friends her whole life, but that had been because she moved around so much. Maybe being in one place would help that.

"I really like the sound of this Tallahassee," she said. "A fresh start, for both of us."

"We'll always take care of each other."

"I've never had that before, someone to take care of…or someone to take care of me." She shrugged. "But you have made it really appealing."

Neal smiled, running his thumb over her cheek. "Good, because I'm not going anywhere."


End file.
